Summer is on the horizon… but between now and that fateful day in July we’ve got the warm weather in the classroom to contend with. Here are a few things on a teacher’s mind as the weather improves.

What can I feasibly get away with wearing?

The vast majority of schools now expect ‘smart business’ of both their staff and students – leaving both camps to consider how one can bend this rule without breaking it. As such, you might spend 20 minutes deliberating what you can get away with on a hot summer day. You imagine you’re probably allowed to wear a linen suit. But you probably shouldn’t.

Will the air-conditioning actually work this year?

It’s somewhere close to 23 degrees Celsius outside, which means your classroom is somewhere close to the temperate of the sun. Will the air-conditioning system actually work this year? You did submit the ticket for it last year after all. Don’t bank on it. Make sure you get your windows open first thing. Which leads us to our next point…

How many unwanted insect attacks will I have to endure?

Your year 7s are settling into their work. There’s near-silence and the faint whispers as students confer with each other. It’s glorious to see them working so diligently. Then, of course, there’s an ear-piercing scream and a wild flailing of arms as chairs and tables are knocked over. There’s a bee in the classroom and suddenly you’ve got to get over your mortal fear of anything that can fly to be the adult in the room and shoo it out of the window.

How tenuous does my excuse for outdoor learning have to be?

English teachers: Right, students. We’re going to go outside and… write Romantic-inspired poetry based on the summer landscape.

Maths teachers: Okay, students. We’re going to go outside and…estimate how old some trees are based on their circumference.

Science teachers: Alright, students. We’re going to go outside and… test whether we’ll find more invertebrates in dark or light environments.

Excuse enough, right?

What’s the upper-legal temperature limit of a work environment?

With that broken air-con and your stuffy suit, you begin to Google the temperatures for a comfortable working environment while occasionally eyeing up your thermometer. You’re disappointed to find out that no, there is no upper limit and that employers simply have a duty to ‘keep the temperature comfortable’. Better submit another ticket to get the air-con fixed…

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